New pub and restaurant opens in County Durham village following NatWest support

A new pub and restaurant has opened its doors on the site of a 400 year-old inn, in County Durham, thanks to a package of support from NatWest.

The Fox and Tree in Dalton-le-Dale, near Seaham, has opened on the site of the former The Times Inn, which closed in 2019, despite residents’ disappointment. Following the pub’s closure, a grassroots campaign was launched by locals to take on the running of the “historic” pub in a bid to keep the establishment open.

Although that initiative didn’t succeed, the refurbished pub has opened again this week after local lads Ian Foxton, from Sunderland, and Paul Rowntree, from Durham, sought support from NatWest to back the site as a new business venture after deciding to bring the pub back to life.

After working for 22 years in the pub trade for companies including Mitchells and Butler and Stonegate Group, Ian had long hoped to open his own venue, commenting: “We’re really excited to be in a position where we can welcome customers to the Fox and Tree.

“After so long in the pub trade working for large organisations, it feels fantastic to be independent and working for ourselves to create something really valuable for the local community.

“The Fox and Tree will be a friendly local, with fantastic food and open fires, plus live music and quiz nights to come. We know that the area is popular for dog walkers, so dogs will be very welcome too. In fact, we’ll have a special snug for dog walkers and their pets to relax in after their walks.”

Paul, who will manage the venue’s food offering, has a culinary career history that has taken him around the world, including restaurants in London’s Bond Street and Knightsbridge, Michelin star venues, cruise ships and cooking for world leaders at cooking a G8 summit in Genoa, as well as consultant chef roles for M&S, Asda and Manchester City Football Club.

Nicola Kilkenny, local enterprise manager at NatWest, added: “It’s been fantastic to be able to support Ian and Paul to turn their vision into reality and even better to know that in doing so, we’re supporting the local economy and reinstating a venue that was really valued by the community.

Ian continued: “NatWest has been so supportive and offered support and advice on everything from securing a business grant to help with things like HR advice and the managerial challenges that come with starting up a new business.

“They have seen what we want to achieve and put trust in us that we will make a success of our vision and provide a really valuable service to local people.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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